Clutch mechanism.



PATENTED JULY 2, 1907.

w. E. ELLIOTT. CLUTCH MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2,1905.

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wiwvaeax UNITED STATES;

PATENT OFFICE.

W lLLIAM ELLIOTT, F GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

CLUTCH MECHANISM.

Specification of LettersPatentJ Patented ur 2, .1907.

Original application filed Noveinlaoi' 22, 1893, Serial No. 491,656. Dividezl and this application filed June 2, 1905.

Serial No. 263,454.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. Enmo r'i', a citi'zenof the United States, .residingat Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clutch Mechanism,

' of which the following is .a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in clutch mechanisnf'and is especially-intended for use. in connection withamachine for attaching buttons to shoes, for whichcomplete machine I have filedan application for a patent in the'United States Patent Office, which application is now pending and is Serial No; 491,655 filedNov. 22, 1893. My invention,'however, so far-as it embodies the clutch mechanism relates equally to any machine inwhich the rotation of a power feed is converted into a reciprocating longitudinal motion. in the operation ,of the mechanism. The

' application of which this specification'forms a partis therefore filed as a division of said pending application Serial No. 491,655, pursuant to the action Patent Ofiice requiring su'ch division l I The specialobject of my invention is properlyto regulate and control the produced longitudinalreciprocation of the machine so that such reciprocation will automatically cease at a-predetermined point.

1n the operation of this class of machinery it is common to provide some trip or catch operated by the hand or foot of the operator such that while the sameis in engagement the produced reciprocating motion will continue and when the same is released from engagement such'rociprocating motion will cease; but if, by accident, or inadvertently, the engagement is not released wlicn it should-be, the produced reciprocating motion will continue and may do serious harm. For example, in mechanism of the class to which my main invention pertains, viz., for attaching different objects together by inserting staples, it is important that only one staple should be inserted until the articles or fabric receiving the staple are adjusted ready for the ncxtone, and, if thereciprocatihg staple-attaching mechanism is tripped into engagement with tlr.-re-- volving power feed, in a customary way, as, for citample, by the operator holding down a foot treadle, and if the operator omits to remove his foot at theproper moment, the, mechanism will continue in engagement and will attachauother staple when. and where it may not be desired; or,-in case of a punch press, if the lmgngement is inadvertently not broken, 1

of the n suitable. power. The mechanismto 'be ultimately operated, like the staple-attaching-mechanism or punch press, would be situated upon the tablelor.v frame,

:vention and is, therefore, not shown. Fig. 2is a horizontalsectional view on line 12-40 of Figi. 1, showing the power communicating shaft with the reciprocating mechanism to be operated.

B is a supporting frame which supports the mechan shown in this figure, is immaterial to thepresent in ism to be operated and contains parts of the mechanism of thisv invention. It rests upon a supporting bench or table 0. I I

l) is a band pulley receiving the power, from any suitable source and transmitting the samethrough the shaft E to the operated mechanism. V

In Fig. 2 F is a hub on the-pulley D and is provided with holes G G, which holes engage the pin I of the sleeve.H-.] This sleeve H is supported by and base I sliding movement upon the shaft-E, and the sleeve H,

with its pin I, together with the hub F, with its holes 1 G G, form a clutch by means of which. the pulley D may be connected and disconnected as hereinafter described. The sleeve His provided with a cam groove J, as shown in Fig. 3, and with xalfrictionstop or depression K, with which-friction depression the brake pins L engagein orderftostop the movement of the sleeve Has soon as it shall have been detached from the hub 1i,by means hereinafter-described.

, M is a spring adapted to press the brake pin L into operative c6ntact with the friction depressionK.

N is a pin adapted to engage with the cam .l' and to withdrawjand withhold the sleeve J out of engagement with the hub F. The sleeve is pressed into and held in engagement'with the hub F by means of a spring 0 as soon'as the pin N is withdrawn from its locking position. P is a splineor key which attaches the sleeve to the shaft E in such a manner as to allow the said sleeve to move longitudinally along'the shaft for the purpose of attachment to the hub F and detachment therefrom. The spline or key P is so attached to the sleeve that the sleeve will always revolve with its shaft E notwithstanding its longitudinal movement thereof.

Q is a crank on the shaft E connecting said shaft, through the pitman U, to the longitudinally reciprocating mechanismoperated by this invention.

R, shown in Figs. 1 and 4, is a crank pin for the crank Q. 7 I

Sis a journal box containing a bearing block S for the crank pin it and is preferably adjusted by means of a screw. 3 Y

operated mechanism to give a different length of stroke.

W is a bell crank connected to the pin and this bell crank is connected by the draw rod X to the adjustable sleeve Y, which sleeve Y allows the foot.

-troadle, or other tripping-device to be adjusted for connection with the machinery above the table in case tables are of different heights. Thedraw red X which 0 is made in two parts to permit this adjustment is connected to the intermediate lever Z by a suitable pivot or other attachment. The intermediate lever Z is pivoted to the frame, as shown in Fig. 1 and is provided with a suitably constructed free end 5 which engages with the swinging catch 2, which swinging catch 2 is pivoted at 3 to the foot lever 1 and is provided with a notch which automatically engages with the free end 5 ol' the intermediate lever Zand is provided with an elbow 6, which, when the foot treadle is lowered comes in contact with the base 7 and releases the swinging catch on the intermediate lever i A spring 4 is adapted to hold the intermediatelever inengagement with the swingingcatch and to raise the intermediate lever and its attached partswhen released from engagement with the swinging catch at the end of the downward stroke of the'foot treadle. The operation of my invention is as followsz When the foot treadle is in the position shown in Fig. 1, other parts are also in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and the pin N is, through the operation of the spring 1, held in connection with the sleeve H, and thfipower pulley D j, is running idly upon the shaft E. Placing the foot upon the treadle carries the same down and with it the connecting red X is carried downffturning the bell crank W and withdrawing the pin Nifrom engagement. with the com .I of the sleeve H. The spring 0 thereupon causes the sleeve H to moveloiigitudinally upon the shaft until the clutch pin I engages with one of the holes G in the revolving hub F-,;-thus completing the connection between the powerpulley D and the ultimately actuated reciprocating mechanism. This re- *iciprocatingmotion thus produced will continue while the pin-Nremains withdrawmbut as the treadle is still further, depressed by the continued actionof the foot of the operator, the elbow 6 of the swinging catch 2 comes "in contact with the base 7, oscillating or turning the swinging catch 2021 its pivot or fulcrum, disconnecting said catch from the intermediate lever Z. Thereupon the action of the spring 4 immediately returns the pin N to its position of engagement and the sleeve H in its revolution brings the cam J into engagement with the pin N, thereby withdrawing the clutch pin I and disconnecting the sleeve H from the hub F. 'ihe brake pin L thereuponengages with the friction depression K of the sleeve H and the movement of this sleeve and consequently of the other operative parts of the mechanism is arrested.

It is evident that the'parts described can be so adjusted that the catch 2 will lie tripped out of engagement withth'e intermediate lever Z by a downward be so adjusted that a downward motion of the troudle I would cause engagement, which engagement would continue while the foot of the operator was held in such position, and then at any desired time a further continued downward motion would cause a disconnection; or the adjustment and distances could be such that the ordinary time occupicd by one complete downward stroke of the operator's foot would permit 'two revolutions, and, therefore, two reciprocating strokes, and then would automatically cause disconnection and ('rSHil tion of the produced reciprocation. It is evident, also, that the tripping means to be actuated by the operator and the means of connecting the same to the clutch could be varied in any common manner without doparting from the substance of my,invcntion. it is also evident that the ultimately actuated mechanism, instead of having the reci 'irocating longitudinal motion especially contemplated by this specification, might have any other form of motion appropriate for intermittent operation.

I have shown a sliding sleeve splincd to the driven shaft as the preferred means of eliectuating detachable engagement between the driving pulley and the driven shaft; but other methods for accom pl ish iug such detachable engagemcnt might be employed, the essential thing being that the parts should be united in such dotachable engagement by the action of the opcmlor through tripping meuns nnd then that they should be automatically withdrawn from such detaching engagement as a result of a further revolution of the parts and at a point and time which have been previously determined by the selected,:fdjustmcnt and relation n? no. 'parts.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim to have invented, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of :i shnfl'. a pulley loos-o oii suld shaft, a sleeve splincd to the said shaft for sliding movement, the sleeve and pulley having. means to cooperate to clutch the pulley to the shaft. means for posllivcly mow ping the sleeve toward the pulley, :1 pln lor nor|n:1ll;,'-holding the sleeve out of engagement with the pulley, the sleeve having a cam device changeable bv the phi to move the sleeve out of engagement with the pulley during the rotury movement of the shaft. :1 ylclduhly operated chock- -lng device to act against the sleeve, :1 lever, and connectlons between the lever and the pin for druwlng the pin back when the lever has moved :i-cci'toiu distance and for releasing sold pin on the continued movement of the lcvoi'l' 'lhc combhmtlon of n. shall, a pulley loosely mrrlml by the shaft, nsleeve spllncd to the shaft for sliding movement, the sleeve and pulley huvlng coiipci'ullve moons. to clutch the pulley to the shaft when the two are in ongugemcnt, a spring to normally move 1110 sleeve lnlo engagement with the pulley, said sleeve liuvhn: :l doprosslon and a mini, :1 pln noting :omlnst the cum to norlmlll hold the sleeve out of engogcnwnt \vlth the pulley. the pin when retracted serving to relvuso the sbovc and the sleeve brim; rciurncd to In; inltiu'l puwilllm out o: on

gn rcmcnt with the pulley by llll pln \vlu'u shill pin is in lltl Jill) its normal position. a sprin controlled checking device to enter said depression, and means for drawing the said pin back to release the sleeve and for then returning the pin positively to its normal position. 1

3. The combination of a shaft, a pulley loosely carried by the shaft, :1 sleeve splined to the, shui't for sliding movement, the sleeve and pulley having cooperative means to clutch the pulley to the shaft when the two are .in engagement, :1, spring to normally move the sleeve into engagement with the pulley said sleeve having a depression and ti-cum, a pin'acting against the cam to norm'al-ly hold the sleeve out of engagement with the pulley, the pin when retracted serving to release the sleeve and the sleeve being returned to its initial position out of engagement with the pulley by the pin when said in is in its normal position. a spring controled checking device to enter said de'pr siou. a lever ope-utivel'y connected with said pin, :1 second le\er for operating the first lever. 11 detonton the second lever for engaging the first lever to cause .the two to move :1 certain distance together, and means for tripping the detent when the levers hiivc lllOVOtiSilid eertuin distance to release the first. lever.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' WlLLIA-M lEj ELLlU'LT. Witnesses A. (J. lmNiSoN, MARY S. 'loomcn. 

